Riding the spirit of a city renewed, the Saints stormed past Peyton Manning's favored Colts to bring a once-forlorn franchise its first championship and set off a party that promises to last a lifetime

Hop in! From record-breaking All-Star crowds to a potential dream superstar showdown in the Finals, the NBA is cruising toward plenty of excitement over the next year and a half. But lingering over it all—including this week's trade deadline—is the prospect of a work stoppage

SETH DAVIS'S Three—Pointer

Illinois has played its way back onto the bubble—for now. The win on Saturday over a Michigan State team that was playing without point guard Kalin Lucas was the Illini's third over a team ranked in the top 50 of the RPI.... Don't believe the hype about the Atlantic 10. The conference might have six teams ranked in the top 50 of the RPI, but the A-10 is likely to get just four of those into the NCAA tournament.... Wayne Chism(below) is doing yeoman's work at Tennessee. Despite being limited by a bruised knee, the Vols' 6'9" senior forward had a combined 50 points in last week's wins over LSU and South Carolina. The victories allowed Tennessee to remain one game behind Kentucky in the SEC.

Before he became the premier postseason performer of his generation, the Patriots icon was a middling college quarterback who invited skepticism, even scorn, from fans and his coaches. That was all—and that was everything